Press release from the RSPB (27th June 2023):
RED KITE SHOT AND POISONED IN DURHAM RAPTOR CRIME SPOT
- The protected bird of prey was found dead, hanging in a tree near Stanhope Burn, in the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
- The Weardale area has become a hotspot for raptor persecution
- Police and partners want members of the public to report dead birds of prey and generate more information on raptor persecution in the area
A Red Kite found dead in Stanhope has been confirmed as having been both shot and poisoned, once again highlighting the area’s serious problem with bird of prey persecution.
The protected bird of prey was discovered hanging in a tree by a member of the public in October 2022. The bird’s body was x-rayed and found to contain pieces of shot revealing that the bird had been shot at some point in its life. But when the bird was sent for official toxicology examination, the body was found to contain the highly toxic pesticides carbofuran and bendiocarb – which were confirmed by testing to be the cause of death. Both these substances are frequently seen in bird of prey poisoning cases despite being banned for legal use in the UK for many years.
Red Kites are graceful birds with long wings and a distinctive forked tail. Forty years ago their numbers were limited to a small population in Wales due to illegal persecution, until successful reintroduction programmes in the 1980s and 90s brought them back from the brink. However persecution remains a threat, even today. Like all birds of prey, they are legally protected in the UK, punishable by jail and/or an unlimited fine.
Last month (May 23), police and partners carried out searches of land and buildings the area, in connection with the incident.
This is the latest of a series of crimes involving birds of prey being illegally killed in this part of the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
In 2020, two GPS satellite-tagged Red Kites disappeared in the Edmundbyers area in suspicious circumstances [Ed: see here]. Both tags – fitted as part of a species monitoring scheme by Friends of Red Kites, who monitor the red kite population in North-east England – had been transmitting as expected until they suddenly stopped. Neither bird, nor their usually very reliable tags, have been seen since.
In 2021, a Red Kite was found poisoned by carbofuran and bendiocarb, also in the Edmundbyers area.
The following year, police together with partner agencies conducted a raid on nearby grouse moor estates in Durham and Northumberland, following previous incidents and intelligence related to bird of prey killing in the area [Ed: see here].
And in March 2023, a Red Kite was found shot, but still alive, on a grouse moor in Edmundbyers [Ed: see here]. Luckily, after care by local vets and a specialist rehabilitator, the bird recovered and was released back into the wild [Ed: see here].
The RSPB’s Birdcrime report, published last autumn, revealed that over two-thirds (71%) of all confirmed raptor persecution incidents in 2021 related to land managed for gamebird shooting. And since 1990, 67% of those convicted of these crimes have been gamekeepers.
Mark Thomas, RSPB Head of Investigations, said: “We are concerned about a spate of concentrated raptor crimes which is rendering the Weardale grouse moors a hotspot for the illegal killing of birds of prey. As such, we are concentrating our efforts of detection on this area, in the hope of catching anyone targeting protected birds such as Red Kites, which should be breeding successfully in this area. But we critically need the public to be our eyes and ears and report potential crimes to ourselves and the police.
“The fact that bird of prey persecution continues against the public interest makes it clear that additional regulation for grouse moors is necessary. We believe all grouse moors and their owners or sporting tenants must be licensed, as is happening in Scotland, to provide a meaningful deterrent to the illegal killing birds of prey. Ultimately this could mean the loss the licence to shoot grouse, if the Police are satisfied that wildlife crimes against raptors are occurring on a particular landholding. Law-abiding estates should have nothing to fear from this approach”.
PC David Williamson of Durham Constabulary said: “The illegal killing of birds of prey unfortunately is continuing in our rural areas. It is unacceptable that anyone should think they can ignore the law and kill these birds by poisoning, shooting, trapping or nest destruction and disturbance. I am sure that people in our community will know who is committing these offences and I would urge anyone with any information to report this. Durham Constabulary will continue to work with our partners to tackle this criminal activity, investigate any reports and prosecute offenders”.
If you notice a dead or injured bird of prey in suspicious circumstances, call the police on 101 and fill in the RSPB’s online reporting form HERE.
If you have information about anyone killing birds of prey which you wish to report anonymously, call the RSPB’s confidential Raptor Crime Hotline on 0300 999 0101.
ENDS
Raptor Persecution UK 
With these poisons, is it illegal to own them? I know it is illegal to use them but it should be illegal to own them.
Over the years there have been many amnesties for knives and handguns, followed by police campaigns to investigate and prosecute people who have failed to surrender such items. Surely it is time for this to be carried out regarding these poisons?
Cannot see that working, because carbofuran is still legally manufactured in the UK (Manchester) for “export outside the EU” while bendiocarb is still widely sold in the UK subject to: Sold by date – 29 July 2024 (product can no longer be purchased after this date) and Use by date – 25 January 2025 (product can no longer be used after this date).
These dates as stipulated by the HSE.
These poisons were banned years ago so how is it these criminals seem to have access to a never ending supply up AND down the country some unscrupulous idiot must be still supplying it surely.
It nevers ends sadly , as you know Ruth I post every one of your blogs in a file on my osprey group , just looked and 183 posts I have made this year , it is so sad , we have nearly 4700 members so I do hope they read them .
Do these ignoramouses not understand, red kites are not birds of prey as they do not as far as I am aware catch live prey, e.g. pheasants, grouse, perhaps only very small ones, mice etc. They are carrion eaters. I lived in Reading for many years and used to feed them offal and oddments from the butchers. Beautiful birds
Red Kites will take the (ground nesting) chicks of anything. The RSPB and everyone else regard them as birds of prey.
The normalisation of raptor persecution within the shooting industry will be it demise.
Iv telephone the police more than 5 occasions on men shooting our birds and wildlife. They don’t want to know. Our local fox was shot owls woodpecker black birds and many more. What do we need to do to help protect our wild life. No one cares anymore
Many predatory animals are a pest to people/livelihoods in the country so rightly or wrongly, are culled or controlled because of that. We often lose lambs, sheep, chickens, calves and young and vulnerable livestock to foxes, badgers or raptors.
“Rightly or wrongly”?? Er, all birds of prey have protected status, as do badgers, so “culling or controlling” them, without a licence, is an offence. There’s no “rightly or wrongly” about it!
I totally agree with Mark Thomas, RSPB Head of Investigations.
Raptor crime will remain an issue until each and every criminal act impacts upon the whole of the game shooting industry through the introduction of enforceable Regulations and a robust licensing scheme, so that even the merest hint of an estates involvement in criminal activity is enough to suspend game shooting over that estate with a long enough ban to have a big financial impact on the landowner, and those operating a shooting business on that land.
This could cause a mindset change within the shooting industry so that no estate wants to employ or be associated with the criminals.
It could create a level playing field across the entire industry, and the law abiding and conservation minded estates and keepers (and there are some) can then hopefully quietly get on with conserving some of the nations wildlife whilst still allowing the estate to run a shooting business.
However one of the issues which also needs addressing is the attitude amongst a newer generation of shooters, who have an expectation of being offered an almost endless supply of birds to shoot, and who measure their shooting prowess by the number of birds they have killed rather than their skill on actually cleanly killing the difficult shot.
I would suggest this attitude of wanting large bag sizes is putting an unsustainable pressure on the shooting industry, and causing some estates to employ any means possible to meet these shooters unrealistic expectations. Regulation and licensing would hopefully end this as it should mean game bird numbers are no longer influenced by dubious or illegal activity, and shooters may just have to accept that what is important is not bag size, but being part of of an industry which plays a meaningful role in proper conservation of the nations wildlife.
I totally agree with this. Any penalty for a crime committed has to cause such adverse consequences that obeying the law is a more favourable way to behave. Knuckle rapping is not enough.
Persecuted raptors Criminals Grouse shooting
Seems to me that xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxxx xxxxxxx that requires a jail sentence and very hefty prosecution. Let’s see how hard he is from inside his prison cell!!
Unfortunately, there is a small percentage of people who are wholly focused on themselves and their own interests and who have no concern for our wildlife if it interferes in any way with their self interest. The only way to dissuade those sort of individuals is to increase the likelihood of them getting caught and to greatly increase the penalties. Substantial fines (£10k upwards) and even jail sentences might just raise the ante enough to start impacting these people who otherwise see a fine of a few hundred as simply the (minor) cost of doing business. I am sure that we are in the majority and we need to ensure that those (in that small minority) do not ride roughshod over the rest of us.
Why not just stop shooting birds for ‘sport’ completely.
It’s sick
I feel you all over react to these posts,for a start kites only feed on carrion and small mamalls such as mice and voles ,and all keepers know this ,they also nest in tall trees and all grouse moors are vacant of these,have none of you ever thought that this could be the work of the anti grouse shooting brigade in a effort to stop grouse shooting,its funny how this problem seems to be in the same location
And of course these birds never die at the beaks of other Raptors of old age or being struck by wind turbines that just simply doesn’t happen does it so it must be shooters and if you succeed in getting shooting banned watch red listed bird numbers plummet as they have done where grouse shooting has ceased
And out come the same old pathetic attempts at deflection, laced with evidence-free statements.
You really expect us to believe that load of codswallop? In fights with other raptors, the injuries would be clearly identifiable and a GPS tracker would usually not be damaged. If it was wind turbines we’d see the tackers go off the air near those turbines. We do know where they are, after all. We’re not seeing that. Old age? You must be kidding us or delusional. Tracked birds are vanishing too young for that.
You are making assertions that not only are not supported by the available evidence but are flatly contradicted by it. This calls into question not only your credibility but your motives.
Here’s the thing, Dave…
At least some of these clowns are moderately literate. So they’re easily capable of reading the reports on this site (and checking their veracity), and the mountain of evidence which shows that the pastime (and that’s all it is) that they so rabidly defend is unsustainable, environmentally damaging, crime-dependent and responsible for the most extreme suffering of living beings. Yet they still see fit to post all manner of cockamamie stories and excuses here, and on other sites.
But to what end? Are they genuinely so deluded that they actually believe every risible statement that they come out with? Or are they just bare-faced liars, who seek to deceive at every opportunity?
If the former is the case, then their breathtaking ignorance of a subject, on which they profess some (often hand-me-down) expertise, is demonstrated for all to see. If, on the other hand, it’s the latter, are they really so stupid as to think that such unmitigated drivel fools anyone?
So, what do they possibly hope to achieve, when each comment that they make pushes the disreputable public image of their hobby deeper and deeper into the cesspit of its own making?
“for a start kites only feed on carrion and small mamalls such as mice and voles”
No, they do not. Very partial to ground-nesting chicks. Curious why you should lie about that.
“they also nest in tall trees and all grouse moors are vacant of these”
And they are also able to fly, when out hunting.
“its funny how this problem seems to be in the same location”
Do you mean next to land with shooting interests?
Feel so disgusted when is this persecution going to stop I feel that we live in the in 2023 not 1823 when are the rich and privileged going to wake up and smell the coffee actually you (the guilty ) are only a vote away from having all the power
Disgusting this isn’t 1823 its 2023 you will regret what you’ve done